WHA History

The World
Hunger Auction began in 1984 as a result of the Antioch Church of the Brethren heeding
the call of a church committee to vision the possibility of increasing its
outreach response to the needs in the world.
W. W. Naff, Jr., as quoted in a 1996 church magazine stated, “The idea
came up during the height of the Cold War.
We wanted to do something proactive for peace in the world. We surveyed the congregation to see what
people would be willing to donate. We
got many positive responses to the idea”.

Initially,
the auction was called the Haiti Project Peace Auction because of the decision to
target funds to that country.The name
had been chosen because it reflected the belief that addressing the underlying
cause of unrest might lead to a more peaceful world.The name also reflected the motto of Heifer
International, “Peace Begins When the Hungry are Fed”.As the effort continued to include the
greater community, the name was changed in 1992 to Church of the Brethren World
Hunger Auction.Following the untimely
death of one of the founders, the name was changed again in 1997 to Church of
the Brethren World Hunger Auction, W. W. Naff, Jr. Memorial.

The date
for the auction has been set for the second Saturday in August.

Through
the years, additional churches were invited to participate.In 1985, five joined; and in1996, the total rose to seven. By 2013 in
addition to Antioch, the group had expanded to include Bethany, Bethlehem, Boones
Mill, Cedar Bluff, Germantown Brick, Monte Vista, Oak Grove (South), Ninth
Street (Roanoke) and Smith Mountain Lake Community Churches of the Brethren.

The first
auction included 22 head of cattle, three rabbits, shrubbery, canned and baked
goods, produce, crafts, and excavating services.In the following years, the variety continued
to increase to include a piano, organ, donkey, ducks, puppies, quilts, crafts,
original art work, services, meals, entertainment packages, and used cars in
addition to many other things.

Because of
the agrarian nature of the community when the auction was started, an emphasis
was placed on farm products, and many animals were donated for sale.The progression evolved from heifers to
calves and then to processed cattle in the form of packaged beef.Not only was the meat sold to individuals,
the decision was made to process animals throughout the year and donate the
meat to the Heavenly Manna Food Pantry in Rocky Mount.In 1995, over $1,000 was expended to process
5 cows and 3 hogs.In 1999, over $2,200
was used to process over a dozen beef animals.The value of the donated meat was not included in the tabulation of
funds raised by the auction.Because of
health regulations, it was necessary to terminate the sale of beef.

In
addition to the items that are offered for auction, there are numerous stations
where things are available for purchase.These include baked and canned goods, produce, gently used toys that are
donated by children, and books.Some of
the activities have become a family tradition with a number of generations
being involved.A silent auction is used
to sell what are called “special services”.Individuals donate meals in their homes, desserts delivered through the
year, escorted trips and entertainment packages, firewood, auto detailing, house
painting and an untold number of other things.

Food and
refreshments are available on auction day.At one point, men from the Summerdean Church in Roanoke prepared a
barbeque chicken meal.It was decided
that the meal drew a number of bidders away from the sale so the plan was
changed to offer a lighter meal.The
Germantown Brick Church coordinates concessions which have included hot dogs,
hamburgers, barbeque, and ice cream with the particular items varying from year
to year.Smith Mountain Lake Church
prepares a breakfast of homemade ham and sausage biscuits.

Many
individuals had ideas for activities to raise funds which could be added to the
auction sales. In the Mustard Seed project, $20 was provided to persons willing
to take on the challenge of using that money to fund a venture from which they
would donate the proceeds the following year.One of the most successful projects was done a member of the Bethany
congregation.When a person took the $20
and encouraged others to participate, the response was excellent.From a bake sale to making craft items for
sale, significant funds were raised from the original amount.As is common with many unique initiatives,
the project was popular for a number of years but was later discontinued.A group from the Germantown Brick community
planted approximately a hundred pounds of potatoes one year and sold them in
the produce area on auction day.In
another year, the Friendship Sunday School Class from Antioch planted, canned
and sold 300 quarts of green beans.

A hunger
walk was initiated in 1987.The route is
a few tenths more than five miles, and the event has taken place in extreme
heat and blowing snow.Though records
are not official, it is known that at least one 84 year-old lady completed the
entire route.It is believed that she is
the oldest person to have walked.Several completed their first “walk” in a stroller.

The idea
for a bike ride surfaced in 1990, and in the first number of years, riders
traveled from the Antioch community to north on the Blue Ridge Parkway then
descending into the town of Buchanan eventually ending at Camp Bethel.Later, the ride was changed to start and end
at Antioch.In the process, routes of 5,
10, 25 and 50 miles were made available to participants.On at least one occasion, a 100 mile was
held, but it was not continued because very few riders were interested.Both the walk and ride are in rural areas
where the hazards are somewhat different than in highly populated areas.There have been a very few incidents in which
both riders and walkers have been bitten by dogs, but none were hurt seriously.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and local rescue squads often provide
support for these events.

Next, the
suggestion for a golf tournament was presented. The first one was held at
Mariner’s Landing course in 2003.Monte
Vista Acres was the site of a community fellowship event for a number of
years.It included music groups, food, a
magician, a petting zoo, and other family activities.

Other
activities that have evolved include church meals, typically being a pancake
breakfast or spaghetti lunch following a Sunday worship service.Also, many different types of music programs
have become part of the tradition.Included are a winter musical with local groups and occasional concerts
by the Antioch Bell Choir.This first winter
musical was started as a Mustard Seed project in 1998.Also, Jonathan Emmons, who is well known in
the Church of the Brethren community, having served as District and Annual
Conference organist numerous times, presents an annual concert to benefit the
auction effort. His first concert was in 2006.

The funds
collected for hunger projects grew steadily through the first thirty
years.The auctions from 1984 through
1987 raised over $10,000 each year; from 1988 through 1990, over $20,000; from
1991 through 1995, over $30,000; from 1996 through 1998, over $40,000; and from
2000 through the thirtieth auction in 2013, the amount ranged from $50,000 to
$58,000.In 1999, the total dipped below
the trend to about $36,000.From 1984
through 2013, more than $1,150,000 was distributed to hunger related
organizations.

An
important question that faced the original planners related to how the money
that was raised would be put to use to address the hunger question.Some wondered if the church should develop a
project that could be funded with the proceeds.Others suggested that it would be better spent if the money was given to
existing organizations that had expertise in administering programs.Heifer International (then known as Heifer
Project International) was selected as the main entity to which the funds would
be given.A project in Monte Cristi,
Dominican Republic, was selected to receive significant funding. The budget for that group was about what the
auction was raising for the first number of years which made it a good fit for
the funds. Other organizations which have received funding include the Church
of the Brethren Global Food Crisis Fund, Roanoke Area Ministries, Heavenly
Manna, and others in smaller amounts.

Individuals
from the various churches visited the Dominican Republic projects in 1987,
1996, and 2001.Those who made the trip
included Glenn Kinsel, Sevilla Bower, Darrell Brubaker, Jimmy Cooper, Mary Jane
Flora, Charles Flora, Donna (Walker) Sowers, George Barnhart, Sandra Myers, and
Laird and Sarah Ann Bowman and their children.

An
important and necessary part of the auction is the auctioneer.A variety of real estate and auction
companies have donated services without charge through the years.A large tent is raised to cover the crowd and
sale items.The tent was donated for
many years, but when presented with the opportunity, it was purchased by
Antioch Church.

The annual
gathering of people from the community and the larger Virlina District has
proven to be a time of great fellowship.On occasion, families have used the auction as the time for their family
reunion.This opportunity for
associating with friends and relatives has been an unintended consequence that
brings great joy to many people.

Literally,
hundreds of people have worked in various ways to make the first thirty years
of the auction such a booming success.Each year, there are volunteers who work with quilts and crafts,
produce, baked goods, toys, books, and concessions.Countless individuals make things
specifically for the auction resulting in an excellent inventory of new items
to sell.On occasion, persons from the
community just appear with things to sell, often some garden produce of which
they had an overabundance.Only with the
joint effort of so many was it possible to achieve such unbelievable results.